Arelith

Resistances are far too broad and complete, and bursty damage it can inflict is unreasonable. Shouldn't be found in a general area, outside a dungeon, like it is in the Petrified Forest for the challenge it presents (McGuffin spells/damaging abilities existing don't mitigate when a mob is over stated, they just make the intended challenge inconsequential for some builds a whole other issue).

Aren't Galebs weak to bludgeoning? On my STRanger, I carry two weapons - a slashing orcish blood sword (yeah yeah, I should be dual wielding, shush, it's style), and a bludgeoning ashwood quarterstaff (the one with 1d12 bonus dmg) - which I didn't even keen with a rune but stack another +1d4 instead, because the purpose of that quarterstaff is to be anti-elemental anti-undead weapon, so who gives a crap about crit hits. And I remember very clearly that whacking them in another area from one you mentioned was very effective, resulting in me doing heavy damage even without triggering Bane of Enemies (because I dont have em favored)

ltlukoziuz wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 4:50 pm Aren't Galebs weak to bludgeoning?

Not sure if they're WEAK to it, but it is absolutely possible to bludgeon them to death with a blunt weapon. Fighting several of them at once might hurt, but they die like everything else with sufficient application of blunt force.

I think keeping them just within the dungeon is a sound suggestion. I'll see if I can arrange it.

Void wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 5:00 pm Not sure if they're WEAK to it, but it is absolutely possible to bludgeon them to death with a blunt weapon. Fighting several of them at once might hurt, but they die like everything else with sufficient application of blunt force.

I have on Arelith found that overwhelming to be a true thing regarding raw force application. But in this mob's instance, not so much, in odd just not balanced right ways. For instance, watching it resist melee damage from a max level giant spider companion, that is buffed offensive and defensively, when the spider has a strength of near 50, is a tad 'WTF?!?!?' Especially when on the mobs next round it decimates the spider with no issues right through its defenses.

That same spider stands toe to toe with a blue and green dragon, and fiends. As well as elder elementals. So this thing just comes across as an immersion destroying and OP damage sponge when encountered outside a dungeon.

Edit: Also, can accept, my ranger should likely be bringing a bigger bludgeoning stick to the fight. Honestly, wish there was a raw 'physical' damage trap. Or that perhaps the negative or sonic traps were usable here. But mostly do to the area, and the type of mob chains that spawn in it, with true see'ers, etc, I've not come across a way to effectively counter this thing's damage sponge and burst through traps or item use.

Bludgeoning is their weakness, but I think what we're seeing here is the stoneskin ablative on top of their damage immunity/crit immunity when using the wrong weapon on them. Either way I found them pretty tiresome and grindy to battle even fighting them as a fully equipped level 30.

UilliamNebel wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 7:53 pm
I have on Arelith found that overwhelming to be a true thing regarding raw force application. But in this mob's instance, not so much, in odd just not balanced right ways. For instance, watching it resist melee damage from a max level giant spider companion, that is buffed offensive and defensively, when the spider has a strength of near 50, is a tad 'WTF?!?!?' Especially when on the mobs next round it decimates the spider with no issues right through its defenses.

Yes, because it's not dealing "bludgeoning" damage - it's doing "slashing" damage, because the only creature weapon it has is "bite". Damage type is not based on their strength or size, but the way they're attacking. There are four creature weapon types in total in NWN:

slashing (bite)
piercing-slashing (claw)
piercing (gore)
bludgeoning (slam)

In fact, slam attacks don't exist among animal companions. Common animal companion picks have:

Brown Bear - claw/claw/bite
Dire Wolf - bite
Panther - claw/claw/bite

Skibbles wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 8:20 pm Bludgeoning is their weakness, but I think what we're seeing here is the stoneskin ablative on top of their damage immunity/crit immunity when using the wrong weapon on them. Either way I found them pretty tiresome and grindy to battle even fighting them as a fully equipped level 30.

Unless Deep Wells Galeb Duhr are different, they don't have stoneskin. Or well, better to say, a double axe, even with +5 blade thirst, is an absolutely rubbish weapon and doesnt chip em at all (doing roughly 5 phys damage on 30 stranger)

Honestly I could very well be misremembering, but I was picturing the ones in the Underdark area near the Petrified Forest and not the Deep Wells ones. I plain don't remember if they're different or not, but I'm pretty sure some of the ones in the UD come with an autocast greater stoneskin... but now that you question it I'm starting to question myself too. Now I have to find time to go double check lol.

ltlukoziuz wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 8:30 pm
Yes, because it's not dealing "bludgeoning" damage - it's doing "slashing" damage, because the only creature weapon it has is "bite". Damage type is not based on their strength or size, but the way they're attacking. There are four creature weapon types in total in NWN:

slashing (bite)
piercing-slashing (claw)
piercing (gore)
bludgeoning (slam)

In fact, slam attacks don't exist among animal companions. Common animal companion picks have:

Brown Bear - claw/claw/bite
Dire Wolf - bite
Panther - claw/claw/bite

But what surprises me, is how little the magic damage that a fully buffed, max level companion, with all the companion specific buffs on it has for it's melee, is ineffective here on this particular mob. Smaller ones, no great joy to fight but very manageable. Larger one, I would almost swear it even has magic damage resistance as well. And then there is its bursty damage.

You should be able to see right in the combat log if it has magic damage reduction.

Skibbles wrote: Thu Nov 25, 2021 9:43 pm You should be able to see right in the combat log if it has magic damage reduction.

I believe they have a soak / damage reduction and I am not seeing how it is calculated and applied to the damage dealt from the companion. But will need to go back over the log and have another look.

Edit: Looking at your previous post, yeah, basically some soak or DR I am just not understanding, whether from a innate/insta stone skin they do or what not. Whats also getting me, is that the companion has Stoneskin itself up, so I'd have figured it would by caster level, be near negating the creatures soak / DR.

They have some resistance/DR to all physical damage, but the reduction is a lot less with bludgeon weapons. Much like skeletons.

It is generally wise to have a weapon for each damage type, precisely for such situations.

Try a bludgeoning weapon with a sonic essence. Or sonic damage spells.

It's a bit of a thread necro but I did follow up on this, in the Underdark (Petrified Forest), and found one or more Galeb Duhr do, in fact, cast Greater Stoneskin as their first spell. This makes them not particularly more dangerous, but a real slog to get through.

I forgot to use my silver bell, though, so the jury is out on magic damage.